Date:01/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/01/stories/2008120153280300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

‘Cancel debts of farmers’

Staff Reporter

‘Jata’ by Agricultural Workers Union leader reaches Medak

Historical places linked with independence movement selected for starting ‘jatas’
Exercise to create confidence that relentless fight would yield result at the end

SANGAREDDY: It is a 10,000 km-long jata that began at Jalianwalabagh near Amritsar in Punjab on November 15 touching many historical places to inculcate fighting spirit among the peasants and farming community.

Similar jatas were taken up at Benares in Uttar Pradesh and Erode in Tamil Nadu, which will be culminating at Hyderabad on December 1 followed by a joint meeting of all these jatas on the next day.

The programme was taken up by All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) to commemorate 25 years of establishment of the organisation.

Leading a team of the jata from Jalianwalabagh, AIAWU general secretary Sumeet Chopra arrived in Sangareddy on November 29th night.

Sharing his experiences with The Hindu, Mr. Sumeet, a native of Punjab who earlier worked as the all India vice-president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), said that they selected historical places linked with the Indian independence movement to start the jata to create confidence that relentless fight would yield result at the end like in Jalianwalabagh.

Fight for justice

“We have to create confidence among the peasants and farming community that taking up the path of fighting for justice is not a useless one. Many including Shaheed Bhagat Singh lost their lives in the fight against British but ultimately they were forced to leave India,” he said. The jata led by Mr. Sumeet so far touched seven States including Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Stating that businessmen and industrialists owed about Rs. 1,57,000 crore to the banks, Mr. Sumeet wondered why there was heavy pressure on the farming community to pay back the loans. “Let the government cancel all the debts of farmers at banks as well as at private lenders. They should be provided with water, power and fertilizer,” he demanded.

Referring to the ongoing separate State movement for Telangana, he said that role played by Major Jaipal Singh to fight against Nizam and inter-linkage among the places and people should not be ignored.